Loss and Return of Sensation After Axillary Brachial Plexus Nerve Block - Distally or Proximally

Completed

• Conditions: Anesthesia

• Registration Number: NCT06443879
• Lead Sponsor: Balgrist University Hospital

Brief Summary

Peripheral regional anesthesia is the current gold standard of opioid-sparing perioperative analgesia, especially in shoulder, upper limb, and leg surgery. Axillary brachial plexus nerve block is one possible block for upper limb surgery. Loss and return of sensation require time and loss of sensation is supposed to spread from the proximal part to the distal part of the upper limb. Interestingly, until now there is no study about the return of sensation related to the anatomic region.

The investigators hypothesize that the loss and return of sensation after axillary brachial plexus nerve block will first occur in the proximal part of the upper limb and last in the distal part.

Detailed Description

Peripheral regional anesthesia is the current gold standard of opioid-sparing perioperative analgesia, especially in shoulder, upper limb, and leg surgery.(1-8) Axillary brachial plexus nerve block is one possible block for upper limb surgery.(4, 5, 9) Loss and return of sensation require time. It is known from clinical practice that loss of sensation occurs from the proximal part of the arm to the distal part of the upper limb.

Interestingly, until now there is no study about the return of sensation related to the anatomic region. The investigators hypothesize that return of sensation after axillary brachial plexus nerve block will develop in the same direction like loss of sensation, what means from proximal to the distal part of the upper limb.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-02-01
• Study First Submitted: 2024-03-23
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-05-30
• Study First Posted: 2024-06-05
• Status Verified: 2024-09
• Primary Completion: 2024-09-12
• Study Completion: 2024-09-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-10-30
• Last Update Posted: 2024-11-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

• Outpatients with planed surgery with axillary brachial plexus nerve block
• Informed consent as documented by signature
• Age ≥ 18 years

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients with a known allergy towards the local anaesthetic

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Loss of sensation after axillary brachial plexus nerve block	Pre-surgery	A questionnaire will be used to record the loss of sensation in the upper limb. Sensation loss is recorded separately for the finger, hand, forearm, elbow, and arm. It will distinguish between initial and complete loss of sensation.
Return of sensation after axillary brachial plexus nerve block	Immediately after the surgery	A questionnaire will be used to record the return of sensation in the upper limb. Sensation return is recorded separately for the finger, hand, forearm, elbow, and arm. It will distinguish between initial and complete return of sensation.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Block failure	Pre-surgery	Block failure yes or no
Pain after	Immediately after the surgery	Pain score (Numeric Rating Scale: 0 to 10) after loss of sensation after the axillary brachial plexus nerve block on a 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable.
Pain before	Pre-surgery	Pain score (Numeric Rating Scale: 0 to 10) before loss of sensation after the axillary brachial plexus nerve block on a 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable.
Amount of pain medication	Immediately after the surgery up to 2 days	Amount of pain medication after surgery, measured in mg
Prolongation of hospitalization	Immediately after the surgery	The patient is expected to be an outpatient. If this does not occur, the days of hospitalization will be recorded.
Patients satisfaction with pain therapy	Immediately after the surgery	The patient will be asked to rate their satisfaction with the pain therapy on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating very dissatisfied and 10 indicating very satisfied.
Satisfaction of medical staff with the execution of the axillary brachial plexus nerve block	Immediately after the surgery	The medical staff will be asked to rate their satisfaction with the execution of the axillary brachial plexus nerve block on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating very dissatisfied and 10 indicating very satisfied.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Balgrist University Hospital; 🇨🇭 Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland